Consort Yu

Consort Yu (died 202 BC) was the concubine of the 3rd century BC warlord Xiang Yu.

Biography
Consort Yu was born in Shuyang County, Jiangsu, and she first came across Xiang Yu as she was bathing her horse by a riverbank. Her brother Yu Ziqi came to serve the Xiang family during their revolution against the Qin in 209 BC, and Consort Yu fell in love with Xiang Yu and became his concubine. She accompanied her man during all of his battles, and, at the Battle of Gaixia, she stayed with her lover as the Han armies besieged him. The Han troops began to sing Chu songs to demoralize the Chu defenders, and Xiang Yu indulged in alcohol and began to sing to express his sorrow. Consort Yu performed a sword dance and asked that, since her lord's spirits were low, why should she live? She then proceeded to commit suicide to prevent her lord from being distracted by his love for her as he prepared to fight against Liu Bang's besieging army.